Scouting Report: Ohio State

Well folks, it’s finally here: Penn State versus Ohio State. Fresh off of a 42-13 shellacking of Michigan, the Nittany Lions will invade Columbus Saturday afternoon.

The Buckeyes had their bye week last week and will most likely be very well rested for this colossal showdown against the Nittany Lions.

Ohio State is coached by Urban Meyer and his all-time record against Penn State is 4 wins and 1 loss, with the 1 loss coming in a massive upset at Beaver Stadium last year.

At quarterback, the Buckeyes are led by J.T. Barrett. Barrett has completed 137 passes on 206 attempts for 1827 yards, 21 touchdowns and only 1 interception. He is also the second leading rusher with 71 carries for 370 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Freshman phenom J.K. Dobbins is the Ohio State ring leader at running back. Dobbins has carried the ball 100 times for 775 yards and has scored 5 touchdowns. Mike Weber is Dobbins’s backup and has carried the ball 48 times, racking up 227 yards alongside 4 touchdowns.

However, Weber’s status for the game is unclear as he is currently nursing a knee injury.

Expect a large dosage of J.K. Dobbins potentially sloppy, wet and raw weather conditions throughout the game.

At wide receiver, Barrett has the options of Parris Campbell, K.J. Hill, Terry McLaurin and Binjimen Victor. Campbell is the leading receiver with 27 receptions for 394 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Look for the Ohio State receiving group to test the Penn State secondary should the Nittany Lions stack the box and take away the run game.

On defense, the Buckeyes have one of the finest units in the country and are led by Damon Webb, Jerome Baker, Dante Booker and Nick Bosa.

Yes, you read that correctly. There is another Bosa on the Ohio State roster. Nick Bosa has 10 tackles for loss and is a dominant force on the Ohio State defensive line.

The defensive line is anchored by Nick Bosa, Sam Hubbard, Tyquan Lewis and Dre’Mont Jones.

Nick Bosa and Tyquan Lewis lead the team in sacks, with Bosa totaling 4 on the season and Lewis totaling 3.5.

At linebacker, Jerome Baker, Chris Worley and Dante Booker fill up the three spots and all three of them have NFL potential.

Baker and Booker are the second and third leading tacklers on the Ohio State roster, with Baker totaling 29 tackles and Booker racking up 25 tackles.

In the secondary, the Buckeyes are led by cornerbacks Kendall Sheffield and Denzel Ward and safeties Jordan Fuller and Damon Webb.

Webb is the team’s leading tackler with 34 total tackles and also leads the team in interceptions with 2.

Similar to Michigan, the Ohio State secondary is undersized and the tallest member is Jordan Fuller at 6 feet 2 inches.

If the Buckeyes are going to bottle up Saquon Barkley and Trace McSorley as runners, do not be surprised at all if Joe Moorhead’s offense unleashes an aerial assault on the undersized Buckeye secondary.